Bipartisanship, Community Impact Fuel BRI Student Fellow

As a child of immigrants, New York student Naomi Obasa has a deep appreciation for the freedoms and rights we enjoy as Americans.

And she understands that civic education can help her learn to use her voice to create change.

That contributed to Obasa applying for the Bill of Rights Institute’s 2024 Student Fellowship program. Obasa discovered the program while doing research for a project on the Abolitionist movement and visiting BRI’s website.

“I was most interested in the scholarship-funded, culminated trip,” said Obasa, a junior at Bay Shore High School in Bay Shore, N.Y. “Especially after the pandemic, I have been looking for opportunities to be more hands-on in my learning, and this trip seems like a great opportunity to meet like-minded peers and learn more about civics.”

BRI Student Fellows participate in high-quality educational programming during the school year, and their experience will culminate this summer with capstone trips to Philadelphia, Pa., and Washington, D.C.

In addition to experiencing more hands-on learning, Obasa hopes her Student Fellowship experience shows how she can make more of an impact in her local community “and to be more bipartisan in a world that is so divided,” she said.

Obasa plans to study film and political science in college with hopes of becoming an entertainment lawyer. In her spare time, she enjoys watching reality television, cooking, and trying new foods.

Visit BRI's Student Fellowship page for more information.